Re: [ARSCLIST] the origin of scratchin'

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Another person told me, off-list:

"I believe that this honor is attributed to Cool Herc of the South Bronx,
I don't think he was commercially recorded but many folks do credit him
as the pioneer of the scratch."

So I guess it goes back before Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC.

I wonder if the deep-roots go back to playing Beatles records backwards to hear the "hidden 
messages" about Paul being "dead"? Not sure if that whole fad ever caught on in the Bronx 
neighborhoods where rap is said to have originated.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andes, Donald" <Donald.Andes@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 7:32 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] the origin of scratchin'


Hey Tom,

Grandwizard Theodore is most commonly credited with creating
"scratching".

Legend has it happened when he was playing records in his home. When his
mom came in to talk to him, he paused the record on a spinning platter
so he could hear her. When he released the record, it happened to be at
a drum transient, and taking notice, he replicated it; and scratching
was born. Grandmaster Flash (a mentor of Theodore's) incorporated and
popularized scratching, but it came to international audiences primarily
through Herbie Hancock's song "Rock-It" which featured scratching by
Grand Mixer DXT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Wizard_Theodore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mixer_DXT

Don Andes
EMI Music

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tom Fine
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 3:59 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ARSCLIST] the origin of scratchin'

In my never-ending quest for the most trivial music knowledge on the
planet, I have this question ...

Who was the first rap/hip-hop artist to use a turntable, record and
cartridge as a rhythm instrument, ie "scratchin'"? My guess would be
Grand Master Flash's DJ or Run-DMC's DJ, but I admit not knowing the
full genesis of rap.

Thanks in advance if you know the answer!

-- Tom Fine

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